Bulgarian PM: Religious Classes Should Be Compulsory

Bulgaria's Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, says it is much better to not count mosques, but how many new churches are being built. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, declared Saturday he supports making religious education in schools mandatory.

Borisov spoke in the Black Sea capital Varna, during a mass at the newly built St. Prokopiy Varnenski temple, saying the process of aligning religious curriculum and preparing teachers would be long and complex.

The mass was served by the Varna Bishop Kiril in the presence of guests from the Romanian and US Orthodox churches. He said the biggest threat for Bulgaria was atheism and only faith can rescue Bulgarian people.

The cabinet of the ruling, center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria, GERB, party made a donation of BGN 15 000 for the temple. Kiril gave Borisov an icon and an honorary certificate.

A Ukrainian family donated a gold plated cross.

Borisov promised that the temple's crypt will be finished by June next year and that BGN 150 000 for it will be slated in the 2012 State budget.

"I believe that our tactics of not counting mosques, but how many new churches we have built is the only right one," the PM said.

He further commented for the media that it was very important for mayors of the country's largest cities to have good connections with the cabinet in order to benefit the local municipalities and announced that EUR 35 M have been secured from the World Bank to be invested in Varna and the Varna Region.

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